The Neutronic Changeling
by alicefrombakugan
Summary: Jimmy's new invention is power. But it falls into the hands of Cindy. Soon, a problem arises, which only Jimmy can solve. Cindy can't tell him, or she'll have to face consequences. Will she succeed? A vist from a special someone doesn't help either. JC SL
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter1: The Same.**

An ordinary day in Lindbergh Elementary, Retroville . A boy and his friends. A girl and her rival. Doing what they did best.

"That has to be the STUPIDEST thing I ever heard in my life!" screeched Cindy.

"And this coming from the person with less than half a brain?" said Jimmy.

Cindy fumed, giving Jimmy a glare that would make even Atilla the Hun cower. But Jimmy did not flinch in the slightest. He continued to watch her smugly.

Meanwhile, Libby, and Carl stood by, observing this ramble from afar. Libby was unimpressed, however. This had happened one too many times. Carl, on the other hand, was used to their arguments, but he still teetered in their heat.

"Heya homies! What's crackin'?" boomed a voice. Libby looked up. She pointed a finger at Jimmy and Cindy silently. "Oh," said Sheen, his happiness subduing. "Again?" Libby nodded at him."Alright, how many times this week?" Libby sighed. "Eight."

Carl piped up, "Hey, that's not so bad!" Libby gave him a look. "Carl, it's Monday!"

The kid's stocky face lost its shine. "Oh."

Sheen purposefully pushed himself between Jimmy and Cindy, thus breaking their fight. "Fear not, citizens!" he cited. "Ultralord shall brighten your dull and boring lives!" He thrust his Ultralord action figure into Cindy's face. "Here's Ultralord!" he screamed joyfully. Cindy was not so enthusiastic about this. She pushed Sheen off roughly. "Bug off, Ultra loser!" she snapped, "and don't you have like a million of those stupid dolls?"

"A-C-T-I-O-N-F-I-G-U-R-E-S," he spelt into her face. Cindy's anger seethed to the top. How Jimmy handled these nitwits, she'd never know. "Sheen," she said quietly. "Yeah?" he grinned densely. "What did I say about staying twenty feet from me at all times?" she continued in that dangerous tone of hers.

Sheen caught on. He looked down. Then up at Cindy's face. She was white with anger. Instinctively, he shot as far away as possible. "Don't kill me!" he shrilled. Cindy, pleased, gave him a sinister smile. "Not today I won't."

She looked up to the sky, and smiled. Some things never changed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer- I do not own Jimmy Neutron. **

Also, I will try to update regularly. I promise it will get more exciting sooner. In the meantime, please review!

**Chapter2: The Invention**

_Three, two, one…_

Jimmy fluttered his eyes open groggily at the sound of his alarm clock. , A mixture of light and colours collapsed into his pupils simultaneously. He groaned at the miscellany of shapes, and secured them tightly again. His hand groped about absent-mindedly for the off-button. He found it. After snoozing for a bit, he elevated himself out of bed. A few minutes later, he was up and about.

The previous day was the same as any other: No power-hungry villains, no wild adventure, no crazy invention gone awry. Ever since Jimmy trapped the villains in pre-historic times, the villainous path was short. Sometimes Jimmy regretted trapping the League of Villains in archaic Retroville. Now it was all the same. Nothing had changed in the Neutron home. Hugh was still with ducks, Judy was still with cleaning, etc, etc. The same. Everyone was pleased with this normalcy. A break from the maniac adventures, invading aliens, mad pants... Retroville was now the quiet, peaceful town it was meant to be. Everyone liked this. Except Jimmy.

Nonetheless, he grinned. He knew, no, _felt_, like this day was going to be better. He knew why too…

_~Flashback~ the night before…_

"_It's complete, Goddard," he whispered. "It's done." Holding the device to the light, he stared at it in awe. Sometimes, he even surprised himself. The device. Completed. It was so easy to use, yet it operated on the most complex Science out there. No adult scientist had dared to go near that field. But Jimmy was no ordinary scientist. Usually, making experiments was as easy as pie to him, but he constructed this one with ever fiber of his being. Melding atoms together. Double-checking the lot. Extricating the elements. He recorded every piece of progress, like a father nurturing his baby. After months of endless work… it was finished._

_~End Flashback~_

Jimmy daydreamed happily. Today, his heart and soul was going to be exposed to society. He paused. Ought he call the government? As quickly as he thought it, he dismissed the idea. No, something small would do fine. Today's Show and Tell would be great. He smirked. Jimmy doubted whether such an amazing feat entered their piteous lives before. No, of course not.

Sighing happily, he reached for his experiment. Jimmy's hand latched onto air. Puzzled by the unwelcome emptiness in his hand, he glanced down. It was no joke when his eyes nearly fell out their sockets. A second later, the screams of a twelve-year-old boy was heard across Retroville.

In the matter of a minute, Jimmy's neat and tidy bedroom was ripped apart from the insides. A tornado named Jimmy scrounged and crawled all over the debris clawing his way through, searching for a needle in a haystack. A female's voice called out, "Jimmy, hurry or you'll be late!" Jimmy didn't care. He wasn't leaving this house until he found the invention. Tearing away like a bloodhound after a piece of meat, his bedroom was not fit to be called so. Finally, he gave up. "Goddard!" he almost screamed, "get down here, QUICK!"

Jimmy was greeted by a bark from the door. "The Neutronic Changeling, my invention, Goddard, scan for signs of Benovian within this house," he commanded. The dog did not move. "Immediately." Jimmy thought he made his point clear. Goddard never disobeyed a direct order. "Now, Goddard!" he said, this time with more force to his voice. Goddard stood; rooted to the spot. The robotic canine never moved an inch. Jimmy grew weary. "What's the matter? Are your motion circuits dysfunctional again?" The dog shook its head. "Well, then. What is it? You were programmed to obey all orders given by me. Now's not the time!" he shouted, panting heavily.

Out of all the reactions Goddard could have given, this one Jimmy did not expect. Goddard rolled around over and over. At the same time, speakers popped out on either side of him and let out audible laughter. Jimmy watched this unblinkingly. He finally believed the dog lost its mind. "I'm gonna have to reprogram you," he muttered, all the while following Goddard's movements with his eyes.

After two minutes of raucous (dog) laughter, Goddard straightened himself, and trotted to his master. Out of his compartment, a mechanical hand slid out holding an oblong box. The hand dropped it into Jimmy's, and retracted back into Goddard. Jimmy opened the box, gingerly. He almost dropped the contents when he saw them. His eyes rounded like plates.

"How? What? When?" he spluttered the words out, them tumbling after one another. He recovered from this shock. "Goddard! I could kiss you! Where'd you find it? How'd you find it? When did you find it? I remember it was on my bedside, I placed it unerringly adjacent to my cranium and… whoa. Technically, I'm a genius, but even the best must misplace their magnum opuses sometimes-"

"Bark, bark!" Goddard interrupted Jimmy's ramble. "What?" asked Jimmy, snapping out of his reverie. "Woof, woof!" barked Goddard playfully. "Y-you…what?" Jimmy stammered. According to Goddard, _he_ was the one who hid the Changeling as a joke. "Woof!" yelped Goddard happily.

Jimmy didn't know whether to laugh or too cry. He could take pranks…but _Goddard_? "I really do need to look at his system," Jimmy muttered. Goddard gambled to Jimmy joyfully. "No, Goddard, stay. You've caused enough trouble as it is." He swiped his creation into his backpack. "I'll deal with you later," he addressed coldly to Goddard. The canine whimpered pitifully.

Jimmy noticed the time, "Leaping Leptons!" he cried. "I'm late! I'll never hear the end of it from Vortex!"

Before you could say "Haberdashery," Jimmy swallowed his breakfast whole. The word 'chew' was not comprehendible to him at the moment. He fled down the stairs as fast as his legs would take him, yelled a quick good-bye to his parents, and booted off to Lindbergh Elementary.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter3: Show and Tell.**

After ten minutes of gliding and diving through the air, Jimmy disembarked in front of the school, where his two friends usually waited for him. He zipped to the classroom.

He looked at his watch. "Gah, I'm five minutes late!" he vented. "Where's…?" A voice cackled from nearby. "Neutron, late? Oh, the horror," came Cindy's sarcastic tone. "And there it is," said Jimmy quietly. "What's the matter, Nerdtron? Lost your tongue while playing with your silly toys? I wouldn't be surprised." She smirked. Jimmy's cool façade vanished. "For your information, Dorktex," he began heatedly. But Cindy beat him to it. "Aw, look at that," she simpered. "Spewtron's late…oh well, guess there's a first time for everything, and hopefully it's not the last!" She walked back to her seat laughing. Jimmy's blood boiled.

Why? Why, did she have to do that? Every morning. What kind of sick, twisted pleasure did she get by ruining his life? There was something about her that brought out the evil in everybody. OK, not everybody. Just him mostly. He never felt this way toward a girl before. No one affected him this bad. Not even Britney. Why did he feel like this? Libby was obviously unaffected by it. Sheen and Carl were just plain scared of her.

On cue, they enveloped Jimmy into their argument, as he sat down.

"Hey Jimmy, Jimmy!" cried his friend, Sheen, leaning toward him. "Is Ultralord better or Llama Boy? Carl thinks _Llama Boy_ is better than Ultralord. For the love of Ultralord, why would such HORRIBLE thoughts come into one's brain…?" He paused. "What was I saying again?"

"Ultralord…" offered Jimmy helpfully. Big mistake.

"Oh right," said Sheen. "Which is better; Ultralord or Llama Boy?" He leaned in to Jimmy and whispered, "Say Ultralord, saaay _Ultralord_."

Luckily, Miss. Fowl spared Jimmy from saying anything by entering the class that very second. "Sorr-reeey I'm late, cla-a-a-ss," she squawked. "Someth-i-i-i-g or someone caused a traff-iiiic blockage, by crossing the speed lim-i-i-i-i-i-t." She flapped her arms up and down. The class all gave looks to Jimmy. "Heh," he said, sinking into his seat. Cindy had a word to spare for him. So what else is new? She always did. "It's a wonder you didn't hurt anyone breaking traffic laws like that!" she whispered manically to him.

Unfortunately, Miss. Fowl caught her words. "Miss. Vorrrr-tex, do you have anything to share with the rest of the class," she said, directing her piercing bug eyes to Cindy. Cindy did not flinch. "No, miss. Fowl,' she said sweetly. Jimmy scowled at her sugariness. "Good," said Miss. Fowl, eyeing her warily. "Alri-iiiight cla-a-a-a-ss, why don't we start with a l-i-i-i-ttle show-and-tell. Carl, you go first?"

Carl did a little bow. "Thank you, Miss. Fowl," he said graciously. Facing the class, he pulled out a black cotton cloth. "Hey, who died?" called out Cindy. The class laughed. Carl tensed up. "S-someone d-d-died?" he stuttered. Jimmy sighed. "No, Carl, carry on."

The shivering boy regained composure. "Oh, well…ladies and gentle-men, boys and girls, the old and young-,"

"GET ON WITH IT!" someone shouted. Carl whimpered. "May I present to you, The Cloth."

Silence.

_Cough._ "Loser."

The class stared. Taking this silence as a positive reaction Carl proceeded. "This, my friends, is a portal to a new world," he said dramatically. "No more scared-ness during scary movies. Especially when the mean doggie tries to lick you." He shivered. "A friend when Mommy forgets to tuck you good-night. A hanky to wipe away all those messes." He blushed. "Something to wipe away your feet or nose. No more getting allergic to things because you can stuff this in your mouth and-,"

"Thank you, Ca-a-a-rl, you may sit," said Miss. Fowl.

The class had looks of disgust in their eyes. Carl noted this as a good sign. "I did good, Jimmy, I did good," he said when passing Jimmy's desk. Jimmy, not wanting to ruin his best friend's delight, rewarded him with a slight smile. Carl took _this_ as worry. "Don't worry, Jim, I'll help you out with your next project." He did not hear the thump of flesh to his left. "Li-iiiby, you're up next," called Miss. Fowl. "Be righ' there," she called. "Just listenin' to a great song!"

"Thirty seconds!" said Miss. Fowl strictly. "'Kay!" yelled Libby, bobbing her head in tune to her music. Once thirty seconds were up, Libby conveyed a report on the difference between yodeling and singing. The moment it was over, the class clapped politely. Next, was Sheen, who gave a lecture about how "awesomely-awesome, super, cooler than cool (Nick retorted at that one)" Ultralord was. After two verses of his 350-verse poem, Miss. Fowl commanded him to stop, earning a sigh of collective relief.

Cindy's work grossed the most amazement so far. It was a beautiful hand-made mosaic, made entirely by her. She beamed at the number of gasps she attained. The sun filtered through the windows, and dispersed through the stained glass, scattering its colours to reachable places. The classroom was bathed in the colours of the rainbow. Even Jimmy had to admit he was impressed… and a _bit_ guilty. Cindy apparently took as long as he did with the mosaic, and yet Jimmy would again crush her in humiliating defeat…again.

But Jimmy did not dwell on the thought too long. He quickly reminded himself of the sweet victory ahead of him, and soon all sentiments were focused on that. He… feel sorry for _Cindy?_ No way.

Slowly all of them gave demonstrations, exhibitions, and such. Many were manifestations of the tellers' personalities. Jimmy's turn was the very last. But this was fine with him; it only added to the drama. Cindy sensed this and scowled at him, knowing this would be big (much as she hated to admit it.)

Jimmy's turn befell him. He jumped to the front eagerly. Already his classmates' faces had looks of boredom scrawled upon them. He pretended not to notice, so beginning a long speech.

"Fellow classmates," he preached, "Today I shall expose the-,"

"BIG WORDS! THEY HURT! MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOP!" bawled Butch. Jimmy looked at him incredulously. "Butch, I haven't even started yet!" he pointed out.

Butch gave him a sheepish grin. "Sorry, Jimmy. Just practicing for when you totally wreck my self-esteem and not-so-superior intellect." Jimmy blanked. Were his speeches that bad? He needn't wait for the answer. Cindy gave it to him, as always.

"Bully-Boy has a point though. Not everyone here memorized Big Webster. Mind toning it down a bit, Freaktron?" she asked innocently. Jimmy's glare burned a hole through her.

Nevertheless he still gave. "Fine, I'll skip the speech," he mumbled through his teeth. The reactions were unanimous.

"Phew."

"Thank goodness."

"That's another half-an-hour of my life saved."

Jimmy made himself immune to their comments. H pulled out a small black box and clicked it open. The contents…

Were not as amazing as expected.

The class leaned in to get a closer look. Those close by refused to give the gadget a second thought. Cindy hooted with laughter. "Oh boy, Nerdtron, sorry but I think the pinball's invented!" The class accompanied her heartily. Jimmy growled at her furiously. "Shows what you know, Vortex."

Jimmy clutched the object possessively. The laughter died. "The Neutronic Changeling, fellow mates! Disguise is a fixation of the past. Whilst this superiority is in place, lives will be altered for the better. Enemies forgone! History relined! A master of discoveries. A …"

"Get on with it! I haven't got all decade!" yelled someone, chucking a shoe at him.

Jimmy's rant was over. Yes, even a genius was powerless toward public opinions. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you… the greatest thing you eyes have ever beheld."

Caressing the smooth shiny surface of the metallic ball he whispered something into it. The children gave each other confused looks. Without a word Jimmy aimed it at Cindy, and smiled.

The young girl's eyes rounded into huge green orbs. "Neutron, don't you dare…" she whispered. He looked at her menacingly. Her eyes sat on the spot as a spectrum of colours held her.

When their eyes opened, and the bright glare faded, Cindy's seat was not occupied by her, but…

Carl Wheezer.

The class did not move. Two Carl's. Staring each other in the eye.

A minute later… the real Carl screamed the world away, and Cindy-Carl caught her reflection in a window. She screamed. Her voice came in rasps, and all she could do for the moment was give Jimmy the evilest look she could muster.

Jimmy watched this chaos happily. Anyone near to Cindy-Carl shifted a foot away. Libby was horrified. Sheen, completely dazed. Miss. Fowl looked ready to faint. The real Carl belted out the classroom. Only Jimmy remained calm. Soon Cindy found her voice. "NEUTRON, I demand you make me back to ME, or I promise you a world full of pain and torture!" She leaped off her desk. "DO IT NOW!"

Jimmy got taken aback. Cindy never yelled at him this bad. Granted, it was Carl's voice, and body, and his demeanor was just not very impressive, but Cindy did a pretty good job at being scary with just about anything. He spoke into the tiny machine, and silently pointed at Cindy. She closed her eyes, and once she felt the light leave her she opened them gingerly again. She breathed. She was her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter4: An Explanation.**

The class shivered. Cindy was giving Jimmy the king of death glares, that said, 'You'll PAY for this'. He inwardly grinned. The look on Cindy's face was PRICELESS. He doubted anything Cindy could pull was as mirthful as this.

But he still didn't know…Cindy was no _ordinary_ girl. She would worm her way out of this _and_ still hold the trophy up high.

Meanwhile, the whole room was building up an avalanche on Jimmy. Questions sprung at him from all four sides of the globe.

"How'd you do it?"

"Can you make me look like Avril Lavigne? Can ya? Can ya?"

"I wanna be Dr, Phil!"

The commotion stopped. All eyes were on Sheen. "What…?" he muttered. "I don't… I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM!" His voice was enough to knock Mt. Everest off the map. The class ignored him, and started to hassle Jimmy again. He was now standing on the edge his desk , trying not to fall into the sea of hungry sharks, when his senses snapped.

"STOP!" It worked. The chaos immobilized for a second. Jimmy tipped over that very moment. He sank like the Titanic."UMPH!" His jaw touched down first. His body landed like a rock.

He shot up a split second later, rubbing his jaw. "Sorry," he muttered. "My equilibrium was irresolute." His posture straightened. "So, I take it my invention was a success. Who wants to hear my tale?" He could hardly keep the vanity out of his voice. Cindy noted this with contempt. "So what if Nerdtron invented a new toy? You guys never clawed at him like circus monkeys before! Besides, it's not like he hasn't got another hundred of these things!" she spat, the bitterness hardly concealed.

Jimmy looked at her amused. "Looks like somebody's jealous…" he said in a singsong voice. Cindy's anger grew to maximum. She didn't notice tiny splinters ingraining into her fingers. Her hands were grazing the surface underneath her desk. Still, she managed to keep the spite out o her voice. "HA!" Cindy shrilled, her voice had a higher pitch than intended. "Why would I be _jealous _of something that's capable of blowing my head away with it?"

"Because, _Vortex_," Jimmy sneered, "I doubled-checked everything at least thrice!" There's no way on Earth this magnificent wonder can malfunction!"

"That thing's just about as magnificent as your head," she said sarcastically. The class laughed. Jimmy clenched his fists behind his back; there was no way he would let her see him hurt.

'So, if there are no more further interruptions by small, annoying front-seat females, I shall continue," he said airily. Cindy's hands tore away yet another piece of the old oak. She kept quiet, though. She wanted to hear about the invention's engineering as much as the next guy.

Jimmy, seeing as he captivated everyone's attention, started his speech. "The Neutronic Changeling is the first of it's kind, contrary to what Miss. Vortex said. As you observed, it has the power to turn you into whoever you wish to be, for as long as you want," he continued, "I can see the question on all your faces. How does it work? That, my friends, is too hard for your minds to grasp, but I shall give a briefing. All you have to do is say or visualize a being. Anyone alive, that is. The Changeling sends out a low-frequency wave that scans the diameter of the earth for the DNA of said person. This is done in the matter of quarter a second. Once the DNA pattern has been identified, it is recorded into the gadget's memory, which then, in turn, sends out a series of instructions that convert your DNA into the person's. In other words, your DNA is converted into that person's own. Your thought waves and emotions are the same. Only your personality remains. But physically, you are that other being." Jimmy finished. He looked at the class. More than half of them were struggling with what he just said. He sighed. He looked at his friends. Cindy looked less than bored. Carl and Sheen apparently zoned out., and Libby was bobbing in time to her music.

Her teacher was the first to speak. "How do you change ba-a-a-ck, BRAWK?" clucked Miss. Fowl.

"Simple," answered Jimmy. "Your own DNA is recorded before-hand, and all you have to do is give the order. Now, I've managed to calibrate this whole procedure down to the fastest time possible, say about a second and a half."

"Am-a-a-zing," cooed Miss. Fowl, her beady eyes widening to golf-balls. "Thank you, Miss Fowl," said Jimmy graciously. "Would you like to try it out?" he asked. Her eyes widened even more. "Would I?" she squawked gleefully. "I'll take that as a yes," said Jimmy. "Who would you like to be, Miss. Fowl?"

Her beady eyes simmered down in confusion. "I do-o-on't know…Class, any suggestions?"

Immediately, the previously silent room was now crowding with yells.

"Morgan Freeman!"

"Lady Lollygag!"

"Couch Gruber!"

"The lunch lady!"

"Principal Willoughby!"

Miss. Fowl looked thoughtful at the last one. Finally, she made her decision. "Okay, Jimmy, fi-i-re it up!" she shouted above the din.

Jimmy looked slightly worried. "Miss. Fowl, are you sure impersonating the principal is such a good idea?" he asked. She could very well lose her job if this was found out. And rumors traveled light-speed at this school. And more importantly, he would be responsible for it!

"Ah, that old coot will never kno-o-ow! Besi-i-i-des, I'm just playing him!" Jimmy sighed. Somehow, he knew he was going to regret this. He pointed the ball at Miss. Fowl, who shut her eyes with anticipation. He thought of Willoughby, and said his name. As soon as he was done, the same light that engulfed Cindy shot at Miss. Fowl.

She opened her eyes. The class was gaping at her. "Did it work?" she asked. She stopped. Her voice. It was goofier. She looked down to see a plump body clothed with a brown suit. "I'm not me!" she squealed. Suddenly, she pranced around like a deer. "I'm Willoughby! Look at me, class, I'm Mr. William Willoughby, and I run the school! I love ponies and fairies! I don't wanna give Winifred a pay-raise because of building the school's very own tanning saloon, and-,"

Her little dance was interrupted by the door opening. As luck should have it, Principal Willoughby was at the door. "Wini, I think you should come and-,"

He came face to face with himself. The very first thought was that this was a dream. He reached forward and poked Miss. Fowl-Willoughby. His face turned as white as snow. Then, just as Carl had, he stumbled out the door screaming, "AHHH! An evil twin! Scary! I am asleep! I am asleep!"

The class followed his every movement with their eyes, and then fell out of their desks screeching, and hooting with maniac laughter. "Did you _see_ the look on his face?" bellowed Libby, tears streaming down her cheeks. The class fell into another round of laughing and joking, Miss. Fowl included.

Jimmy rolled his eyes. _'This is gonna be a long day,'_ he thought.


	5. Chapter 5

******Disclaimer - I do not own JN.**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Missing.**

* * *

And so it was long. Jimmy tried to fulfill as many of the bore-filled requests as he could. Even though he was tired as crack, he willed himself to go on (and it was the doing of some of the more cunning students).

"No, Britney, I'm worn out. Come again tomorrow," Jimmy sighed.

"But Jimmy, this invention is like, A-MAZ-ING. You gotta try it on me, like, you just gotta!" she whined.

"Okay, fine," Jimmy said tiredly. Secretly, the praise did his ego _wonders_. "People, orderly line, please!" he called out. Just as he predicted, the invention was a more-than-hit. Seniors, and juniors alike formed an endless queue. Some, though, were not as happy for his success.

"Way to go, Neutron! Not only did you make this a celebrity compound, I could swear there's still Wheezer goo all over me!"

"Let it go, Vortex," Jimmy said exasperated. He looked at his 'creations'. Cindy was right about one thing. The place was literally swarming with celeb look-alikes. Almost everyone had requested some celebrity or another.

"Jimmy! Jimmy!" cried an ecstatic Sheen. "Tell me; do I make an awesome Doc Phil or what? Oh yeah…"

Jimmy stared at the balding man in front of him incredulously. 'Uh, yeah Sheen. Awesome. Dr. Phil." Absentmindedly, he scanned the area searching for his other of the duo. "Carl! Where are you?" He didn't notice a big shadow looming behind him. "Right here, Jim. You don't need to yell," Carl said reproachfully. Only this voice was deeper instead of squeakier, and the previously portly figure was six feet tall.

Carl was a muscle-man.

Jimmy abruptly turned, his hand flying to his chest. "Carl! DON'T do that! Anyway, can you work this thing? I'm beat."

"Uh, sure Jim," muttered Carl. "Great," said Jimmy, breathing happily. "Here, all you do is let them…"

After explaining, Jimmy made his way to one of the rare few that were not changed. "Hey!" he said slumping down. "What's happening?"

"Well… currently Lady Lolliga is dancing around 'breaking in' her new body. Mr. Muscle-Man and Dr. Phil _were_ arm-wrestling. Carl "broke" Sheen. I had to stand twenty minutes of Libby "shakin' her booty" at me, and you, Neutron…" Cindy said sweetly, "ARE GOING TO BE IN A WHOLE LOTTA HURT IF YOU DON'T FIX THIS!" To emphasize her point Cindy grabbed a fistful of Jimmy's shirt, and shoved her other fist into his face. This old tactic worked, halfway. "Okay! Okay! I'll change them back…" He looked around for his friends; they were nowhere to be seen, "…later. Bye!" Jimmy swished out of Cindy's hair. The latter did not seem so pleased.

"NEUTRON!" Lindbergh Elementary echoed with her voice.

"That was close," Jimmy muttered. He wiped his brow, "better stay out of her way… OOF!"

"Sorry," he said shortly, tentatively rubbing his head. "Didn't see you there."

An almost musical voice reached his ears. "Its okay, Jimmy. Um, how are you…?"

"I'm… I'm fine… I think," he said breathlessly. "…okay?" Betty said unsurely. "So… what's up? Haven't spoken to you in a while…"

"Y-yeah…" said a star-struck Jimmy. "Heheh… you know, busy inventing…. this… and that…" He took a deep breath. "So what're you up to? You haven't been around a whole lot, not that it affects me… whatsoever…" he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Heh…" he smiled sheepishly. "Right…" Betty said, "well, I was absent for a while because I'm going out of the country-…"

"…-forever?" Jimmy said scared. Betty frowned at the worried look on his face. "No, not forever. Just a while. My grandmother's a bit sick, so I'm going to Asia to stay with her for some time. Maybe take care of her, you know… my mum says I'm good at that kinda thing."

"I'll bet…" Jimmy said under his breath. He flashed her a toothy smile. "You know, I could whip something up for her ailment. Just tell me what's the symptoms, and I'll have the cure ready in no ti-…"

"No!" Betty exclaimed. Jimmy stopped halfway, the look on his face a cross between confusion, and slight hurt. "I mean… no, it's fine. It's not too serious. I'm sure it's nothing some TLC can't fix, right?"

"Right," Jimmy said slowly. "Are you sure…-?"

"Yes. I am. Thanks for offering anyway, Jimmy." She moved closer to give him a light hug. This was enough to knock any confusion the boy had, and just melt in her touch.

"Gu-uuuuh…" he said as she pulled away. Confusion was visible on Betty's face.

He shook out of his stature. "Um, I mean, how long are you staying there anyway. You never said."

"Oh," she gave him a breezy grin. "Not SO long. Maybe about… five or six weeks, say?"

"SIX WEEKS?" Jimmy said, clear shock flooding his features.

Betty jumped at the outburst. "Yes… actually, it depends. If she gets better, I'll be back faster. That sound better?" She smirked cheekily at him. "No- I mean, yes… I guess it does…" Jimmy shifted his weight from foot to foot. "Just, well… I might miss you…." His small voice made Betty smile.

"I'm going to miss you too. Don't worry. I'll be back as soon as you know it." She gave Jimmy another hug, harder than the previous, and left him staring at her back as she made her way to the school.

The dazed boy genius still stared in her direction, the school bell hardly grabbing his attention. Nowhere near like Betty did.

_YES!_ The boy thought gleefully.

* * *

Somewhere on the premises, nobody noticed a blonde's head peeping out from behind a wall. Her movement was tentative, afraid of being caught.

Still, no-one bothered with the growls that escaped her.

_Again, she did it again, _Cindy thought angrily. _Everytime. All she has to do is walk up and wave. I have to break a nerve for-_

"Yo, Cindy! You around here? Class starts in two!"

Cindy turned around at the voice. "Yeah, I'm here," she said, sulkily. She stepped out from the shadows and walked slowly to Libby.

"Girl? What'cha doin' back there?" Cindy stopped shuffling her shoes and looked into the exasperated girl's face. "Nothing. Nothing at all."

"You're lying." Libby shifted her pose, shooting a scrutinizing gaze at an uncomfortable blonde.

"No, I'm not." Cindy said, looking away.

"Yes, you are. Girl, I'm your best friend, don't'cha think I would know by now?" Libbu said, matter-of-factly. "And I know _that_ look. It has somethin' ta do with Jimmy, doesn't it?"

"Look, nothing's going on. Let's just go."

"Whatever you say…" The dark girl followed Cindy silently, knowing better than what she put on.

* * *

The day passed on uneventfully. Most of the time, Jimmy was mobbed by the students when Miss Fowl wasn't looking. More than once, he and Cindy had an irritable spat. All in all, it wasn't one of the best days.

When the bell signifying the end of the day rung, all the students clouded gloomily out the entrance. Cindy stayed behind, collecting her items slowly, giving her room to think.

_So I like Neutron… a little. It'll wear off soon. But to see Quinlain getting all cosy with him wasn't fun. At all. In the meantime, what can I- hey, what's that?_

Cindy bent down to get a closer look of the unknown object. Instantly, she recognized it as Jimmy's invention. Picking it up carefully, she examined it.

_Neutron's changeling thing… he must have dropped it. The jewel of his eye, _she thought sarcastically,_ huh, never knew he was so absent-minded. _Cindy scowled, _His mind must still be on Quinlain, that perfect little…_

She clutched the object in her hand tighter.

… _Making everyone swoon…_

Absorbed so much in her mind rant, Cindy didn't notice the object start to glow…

… _While really she's just some stupid…_

A flash…

* * *

"…So Ultralord was like, 'POW!' Robofiend stood no chance against the power. He cried like a little girl…" Sheen raised his fist high above Carl to demonstrate the scene. "Ah! Don't hurt me!" the redhead cried. "…yeah, like that." Sheen said simply. "Hey, Jimmy, you getting all this?" He turned to his scrambling friend beside him. "Yeah, yeah, Sheen…" Jimmy said impatiently. He clawed into his backpack, pulling out his possessions and flinging them out carelessly, all the while Carl dodging them. "Sheen, have you seen the Changeling?"

"The whaty-what?"

"You know, my invention?"

"Oh! You mean the thing that turns people into other people?"

"Yeah, that."

"Nope!" Sheen said cheerfully.

"Ugh!" Jimmy said angrily. "Where could it be?"

"Maybe you lost it," suggested Carl.

Jimmy laughed, "Ha! I never lose anything. I'm a genius, remember? I even know where my grandmother left her false teeth!"

"Ew," Sheen shuddered.

Jimmy nodded. "Trust me, it is. Anyway, can you guys help me find it? It's not here."

He turned his bag pack upside down and shook it violently. He sighed. "Okay… I might have… misplaced it at school. C'mon guys, it should be under my desk."

"No! School twice in one day? When will the torture end?"

Noticing the strange looks from his friends, Sheen settled. "Okay, I'm done."

Jimmy uncrossed his arms. "Let's go, guys."

* * *

**A/N - Uh... hi? Okay, I'm sorry for not updating. I had some really nice reviewers (thanks guys! :) ), and I still let this story go to waste. Yeah, I kind-of lost that JN vibe. I'm not saying I got it again. I thought I'd better complete this, rather than let it sink to the bottom of the JN fiction sea. Still, a part of the reason I was on hiatus for months was because I wanted to hit at least 15 reviews before I hit the fifth chapter. And the amount I got wasn't very inspiring. But kudos to those who did review! You rock! **

**So, please, if you want this story going, click that little button down there, and say something. I honestly don't mind what you say. I just want to know I'm writing this story for a reason. Otherwise, once you think about it, my work would go to waste. You don't want that do you? So, PLEASE REVIEW!**


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